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Rick Santorum: GOP must reach Latinos

Former presidential candidate Rick Santorum charged Thursday that President Barack Obama and the Democratic Party held off on immigration reform so they could capitalize politically during the election.

“It did not get done, in my opinion, by this president because he wanted this as an issue,” Santorum said on Fox News’s “On the Record with Greta Van Susteren.” “I don’t believe the Democrats are at all sincere about doing anything and compromising with Republicans on immigration.”

“They would rather have the issue and continue to drive … this wedge between races and creeds and classes or whatever else they want to divide America,” Santorum said of the Democratic approach to the immigration issue. “That’s unfortunate. Let’s see if Barack Obama, in a second term, is serious about solving problems or wants to perpetuate politics.”

But Santorum also said immigration reform must be accomplished.

“Immigration reform is something we have to deal with,” he said. “This president got away with it. He got away with four years of doing nothing.”

“Yeah, I think we did lose a lot of [the] Hispanic vote,” he said. “I think one of the reasons [is], we didn’t talk about all the issues that that community, which, as all immigrant communities are, there are a disproportionate [number who are] middle and lower income who are trying to struggle to rise. We didn’t have a strong message for those folks. And I’m not just talking Hispanics, I’m talking writ large."

"The only way to do that is to bow to the demand that illegal aliens be rewarded for their crimes.

How do you do that?

For some people, living a life of crime, and/or commiting fraud on a daily basis, has consequences.

As a whole, the left does not share this belief.

It's a real Sophies Choice for Republicans."

The choice for the GOP on the immigration issue is support comprehensive immigration with a path to citizenship or die a rapid death as a national party. Most of the GOP leadership, and even Sean Hannity, knows it.

Frankly I don't understand how it's gotten this far without the adults taking charge.

BTW, the GOP's xenophobia has manage to alienate two groups which once consistently voted Republican: Asian-Americans and Cuban-Americans. Asian-Americans went from voting 55% GOP to 73% Democratic over the past two decades. The exit polls in Florida have been mixed, but the best poll had Cuban-Americans voting 50% for Romney. The worst had him clearly losing. How has the GOP managed to fritter away the most consistently GOP-inclined minority group in the country?

Republicans are way far from knowing the latino reality, I wonder if they are still stereotyping latinos, not realizing that we are the first minority, moving forward to be a majority in the future, and making steps towards positions of power in this country. Like it or not , the power of the latino vote, can make a difference, and it will never be smaller but instead much bigger.

As for Santorum's claim that the Democrats held off on immigration reform to have an election advantage, the Democratic Party did not create the xenophobic lunatic fringe of the GOP, or force Romney to babble about fences and "self-deportation" in the primaries. The GOP did that to themselves, and now they're going to have to rapidly figure out how to fix it.

So the GOP should put forward legislation for immigration reform with a path to citizenship. If it's a genuine plan, without any racist poison pills, it'll get Democratic support. So go ahead, Republicans, start repairing your self-inflicted damage.

The republicans blocked the DREAM act and during the primaries they scolded immigrants. And their 'pundits' insults the latinos that voted for Obama as the freeloaders while many honest hard working latinos also voted for Obama.

The republicans blocked the DREAM act and during the primaries they scolded immigrants. And their 'pundits' insults the latinos that voted for Obama as the freeloaders while many honest hard working latinos also voted for Obama.

What a jerk

Agreed.

Tell the theocratic homophobe to go back under his rock. Even the crazy GOP didn't buy what he's peddling.

phineas_bounderby: "The choice for the GOP on the immigration issue is support comprehensive immigration with a path to citizenship or die a rapid death as a national party.".........................................The GOP certainly has some work to do, but I don't believe their "choice" is limited to that which you've described.

I must say it's glorious watching all these fundamentalist crazies like Hannity and Santorum "moderating" their positions on Immigration. Just like Boehner is "moderating" his position on revenue. I don't care what they do. Obama has Boehner by the balls with the fiscal cliff. He can either make a deal that favors dems, or he can watch red state welfare get cut and take even more staggering loses as an obstructionist. Thanks to Mitch McConnell for ALREADY acting like he did before the election. That'll should help the GOP Image.

As far as Immigration is considered, the Democrats spent years working with Latino populations on a willing coalition. Right wingers can't run from the ultra-nationalism that fires up their base. Their is NO WAY they are going to start cherry picking Latinos because minority republicans go on TV and state that deportation is good for their communities. The GOP has no chance. None. They are going to be irrelevant with anyone but angry old people for the next 20 years. Ironically most of these people don't pay taxes and make no money, so their in the "47%" and dependant on government. So...most of the party leadership will consist of what it is today. Pandering, chickenhawk, tax evading, grumpy old men.

What does Biden say. Malarky. Fox is really becoming an even bigger joke for letting these clowns come on and change their message after they get crushed. This is Where Santorum was with regards to immigration. Build a fence, no amnesty, English only. So how exactly does he plan on appealing to Hispanics.

And now the biggest clown of all Sean Hannity's views on immigration have evolved. Within 48 hours of a smashing election. I really thing they all need to go. They are ruining the Republican party in their one dimensional effort to line their pockets with money by convincing old people across America to watch their rhetoric.

in the 2012 Presidential election, Senator Santorum has expressed support for a border fence, and english as the national language. He was also critical of discussion hinting at granting amnesty to illegal aliens in exchange for border security in the future. However, when directly asked what he would do with the illegal aliens already in the US, Senator Santorum stated that we would have to "deal with" those people seperately.

Reagan is the only president who passed amnesty. Result: Zero long term Hispanic support for the Republican party.

John McCain initiated the McCain/Kennedy amnesty proposal in 2006. Result: Zero additional support from Hispanics in 2008. He ended up with the same amount of Hispanic support (30%) as Romney.

There will be nothing to gain by pandering to various races. This will not work. All amnesty will do is create 20 million new Democrat voters. Don't get suckered into this, you're playing into the Democrat's hands and it will gaurantee Democrat majorities for the foreseeable future.

Republicans need to find a different approach. They may start by doing what Democrats do on immigration (amnesty), promise the world an deliver nothing.

I suggest George P Bush changes his name if he wants to be President 47. His run in Texas is fine - in that state the people think like they speak. Look at their Governor. People deserve the politicians they elect.

Th only way the GOP is ever going get the Latinos and Asian vote is if they ditch the crackers that love you so much Rick. Alabama, Mississippi, West Virginia, Arkansas, Lousiana. They all love you so much Rick. Why don't you run for mayor of Podunk Mississippi. You would win.